Self-sharpening safety razor



Nov. 3, 1936. T. J. PILLIOD ET AL SELF-SHARPENING SAFETY RAZOR Filed June 2 0, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l VENTORS W. I

ATTORNEYS Nov. 3, 1936. T. 'J. PILLIOD ET AL 2,059,744

SELF SHARPENING SAFETY RAZOR Filed June 20, 1935 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 I ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 3, 1936 SELF-SHARPENING SAFETY RAZOR Thomas J. Pilliod and Ferdinand C. Miiller, Swanton, Ohio, assignors to De Haven Razor Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application June 20, 1933, Serial No. 676,626

13 Claims. (Cl. 3036) The object of our invention has been to provide throughout the specification and claims, where a self-sharpening safety razor in which are comthe term blade is used, without specific referbined great efficiency with extreme simplicity of once to the yoke, it is to be understood to include construction and ease of manipulation, and to broadly a blade whether composed of a single such ends our invention consists in the selfpiece of metal or composed of a number of pieces. 5 sharpening safety razor hereinafter specified. The razor blade, in the present instance, is held Our invention is capable of embodiment in against the said shoulders l8 and down upon the many different forms, and while we shall illusseats i9, and also is held down upon the hone trate it by one of the best embodiments known to plate l2a, by a spring 26, which, in the illusus, it is to be understood that our invention is trated embodiment, has trunnions 2! that are en- 10 capable of being embodied in many different gaged in holes formed in the ends of the said forms and is not to be confined to the form yoke, and that has a latch section 22 which is chosen for illustration. adapted to be sprung under a shoulder 23 that In the accompanying drawings: is formed on the said head, preferably at a level Figsl, 2 and 3 are respectively side and rear below the seats l9 and at a point sufficiently to 15 elevations and a bottom plan view of a razor emthe rear of the trunnions 2! so that forcing the bodying our invention, said razor having a blade said latch section 22 beneath the said shoulder thereon, the blade being in position for shaving. 23 will pull the said yoke firmly against the said Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a front elevashoulders l8 and also pull it down upon the seats 2 tion and a plan view of the said razor, the blade 59 and furthermore, will yieldingly pull the blade being removed in the latter. down upon the hone plate. The wire of the Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively vertical cross spring between the trunnions 2i and the latch sections on the lines A,A and B- B of Fig. 4, portion 22 is made of sufficient length so that the full lines showing the parts in position for there is ample yielding to permit the latching of shaving, and the dotted lines in Fig. '7 showing the razor blade to be easily and quickly eifected. 25 the position of the guard plate and hone plate This necessary length of wire is advantageously at the outer end of the sharpening movement. provided by forming return bends 24 which not Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively a plan and an only afford the desirable length of the wire but edge view of the form of our razor blade shown serve as finger-holds for latching the blade in in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7. position and removing it. 30 I Fig. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional View on the By making the cutting edge of the razor blade line I0l@ of Fig. 5. parallel to the back of the yoke in which it is Essentially our razor comprises: a handle Ill mounted, if a yoke be used, we assure that the said carrying a head H, said razor having means cutting edge shall always be exactly parallel to for so supporting a guard plate l2 having a hone the said wall H30... In order to assure that the 35 plate 520, secured thereto, that they may be rerow of teeth 2'! of the guard plate, shall, in the ciprocated transversely to the cutting edge 13 shaving position, always be exactly parallel to of the razor blade M, so as to sharpen the the cutting edge of the blade, we provide vertical razor edge. In the present instance, the razor shoulders 31 at the foot of the seats is against blade is clamped between the two jaws N5 of a which the back of the guard plate rests when it 40 yoke H, and the said yoke I! rests in the angle is in position for shaving. Thus, since the Wall between preferably vertical shoulders l8 formed I8 and the shoulders 3'! are parallel to each other, on a wall l8a. on the head H, and seats !9 at the the cutting edge of the razor will be exactly foot of said shoulders, which seats preferably slope parallel to the row of teeth of the guard plate downward in a direction toward the cutting edge and the possibility of cutting the face, due to the 45 of the razor. In the present instance also, the lack of that relation, is e ed.

razor blade M, is provided with slots [4a and Ma We u e t e s ou ders i8 and 31 and the seats to render the blade I4 more flexible for a purl9, instead of continuous surfaces extending from pose later to be described. Instead of using the S de to S Of the ea e a al a i y slots Ma, the blade can be weakened by reducbe disp a ed rom the small areas of the said ing the longitudinal cross-section of the blade in shoulders and seats, while with a continuous surany other way and the same result be obtained. face it might not be forced out.

The blade, however, instead of being formed of a The blade is unsupported in the middle so that thin strip of steel mounted in a yoke or holder, tension can be put on the blade to press the blade may be formed .of a single pieceof steel, and down on the hone plate. The wire loop is so 55 formed that it engages the beveled upper corners 18b of the wall 48 and thus positions the blade endwise with relation to the said wall if it happens to be slightly too far to the right or left.

In the present instance, the mounting of the combined guard and hone plate to permit reciprocation for sharpening, and merely by shaking the razor, is constructed as follows:

A link or lever 25 is mounted in a slot 26 in the upper portion of the handle and its lower end is pivoted on a screw 21. The upper end 28 of the said link or lever is provided with a bore 29 in which is mounted a pin or screw 30, the guard plate l2 being supported on the ends of said pin by ears 3! through which the ends of the said pin or screw project. The proportion of the parts is such that the guard plate is spaced above the level of the underlying wings 32 and 32, on the razor head so that, while the combined guard and hone plates are maintained in a position substantially perpendicular to the handle, they may tilt so as to contact with the entire length of the razor blade if the latter is not exactly perpendicular to the handle. A slot 34 is formed in the said razor head to accommodate the upper end of the link or stem, and the ears 3|, to permit forward and back reciprocation of the combined guard and hone plates and recesses 34a are formed in the said head on each side of the guard plate so that the lugs 35 on the under side of the guard plate may not interfere with the said reciprocation but. at the final end of the movement of the said plates, may strike against shoulders 36 and thus limit such movement.

The hone plate l2, as shown in Fig. 5, preferably has a diagonally placed ridge 38 for honing the razor blade edge. Its diagonal position causes it to hone only a small section of the said razor blade edge progressively back and forth from one end of the said ridge to the other, which action is much more effective than if the hone treated the entire length at one time. It also has a drawing action lengthwise of the said edge, which tends to remove any burr that may form. A V-shaped or arc-shaped ridge may also be used instead of such diagonal ridge. Thus when the hone plate is reciprocating back and forth to sharpen the blade it will hone the blade beginning at the two ends of the cutting edge, the contacts with the blade travelling toward the middle of such edge during the forward movement of the hone plate, and reverse said treatment during the backward travel thereof, which is a much more effective method of treatment than if the hone plate be made to treat the whole edge all at one time. During these treatments, the edge of the blade is flexed, so to speak, as it travels along the said hone ridge, which again tends to remove any burr that may be formed.

The aforesaid razor has many advantages. It is composed of very few parts and yet such simplicity has been attained without sacrifice of efficiency or convenience, but rather with an increase of both.

Our safety razor is so constructed that the upper surface of the blade, whether or not it is composed of a single piece of metal, is devoid of any obstruction. There is no over-hanging part to secure the blade in place. This permits the blade to be positioned at as slight an angle to the skin, as may be desired, and to a much slighter angle than is possible where overhanging parts are used.

It is so constructed that the cutting edge of the razor is always accurately positioned with relation to the teeth of the guard plate, so that cutting of the face in shaving is prevented. Notwithstanding this very desirable feature, the razor is always ready for instant sharpening of the blade by shaking the razor back and forth without any unfastening or fastening, or any catching of other part; and shaving can as easily be resumed or begun, because it is only necessary to push the guard plate into its rearward position in order to shave; and this can be done by the mere bringing of the razor into contact with the face for shaving.

The pull of the spring on the blade not only holds the blade firmly upon the seat, and tightly against the shoulders 18, and holds the blade down on the hone plate so that it cannot vibrate or yield during the shaving stroke, but it causes the blade to overhang the edge of the hone plate and yieldingly to hold the hone and guard plates in the rearward position which they should occupy during the shaving operation.

Notwithstanding this restraining effect of the razor blade on the aforesaid guard and hone plates, the blade, when the razor is shaken, yields sufliciently so that they reciprocate back and forth, and the hone performs the sharpening operation upon the said blade. The presence of the slots 14a in the blade M makes the blade yielding, so that the guard and hone plate can be reciprocated with less effort than would otherwise be required. Thus the necessity is avoided which would otherwise exist, of having to provide a latch to hold the said plates back during the shaving operation.

The said construction is practically so automatic that, if during the shaving operation the blade proves to be not quite sharp enough, the razor can be withdrawn from the face and shaken a few times almost without interfering with the shaving operation.

Moreover, our razor blade, with the greatest facility, can be mounted on the head for shaving or sharpening and can be turned over to sharpen it on the other side. It is merely laid into place, on its side, by a simple lowering movement, and is removed by a simple raising movement.

The blade is simply laid upon the seat l9 and the spring sprung under the shoulder 23.

There are no screws in our razor which it is necessary to operate nor are there any plates or other parts which have to be disassembled before the razor blade can be put in place and which then must be reassembled and fastened together.

There is nothing in our razor the wear of which can effect its efficiency in the sharpening operation; for the accurate positioning of the guard plate and the cutting edge of the blade relative to each other and to the frame depend upon contacts of shoulders which approach each other by a motion perpendicular to their surfaces and therefore without any rubbing to wear them. No possible wear of the pin 30 could have any effect upon the maintenance of the accurate relation between the cutting edge and the line of teeth of the guards nor upon the uniform action of the hone plate along the entire length of the cutting edge.

The spring not only performs the function of a latch to fasten the blade in place on the razor, but it draws the razor back against the upright shoulder wall I8 and down upon the shoulder l9 and furnishes tension upon the blade to press it against the hone plate, positions the blade longitudinally on the said wall [8 and serves as a handle for placing the blade in position and for turning it over.

The simplicity of our razor makes it easier than would otherwise be possible to remove the soap after shaving and to keep the razor clean.

What we claim is:

1. A safety razor comprising a handle, a head having a guard thereon, a hone plate mounted on said guard, said guard and hone plate being reciprocable for sharpening the razor, a seat and shoulders on said head, said seat being unobstructed above for supporting and positioning the rear portion of the blade, a blade supported upon said seat in shaving position, and a single means for holding said blade upon said seat and against said shoulder.

2. A safety razor comprising a handle, a head having a guard thereon, a hone plate mounted on said guard, said guard and hone plate being reciprocable for sharpening the razor, a seat and shoulders on said head for supporting and positioning the rear portion of the blade, said seat being unobstructed above, a blade supported upon said seat in shaving position, and a single means for holding said blade upon said seat and against said shoulder and for pressing the forward portion of said blade upon said hone plate.

3. A safety razor comprising a handle, a head having a guard thereon, a hone plate mounted on said guard, said guard and hone plate being reciprocable for sharpening the razor, a seat and shoulders on said head for supporting and positioning the rear portion of the blade, a blade supported upon said seat, and a single means for holding said blade upon said seat and against said shoulder and for pressing the forward portion of said blade upon said hone plate, said means comprising a spring attached to said razor blade, said head having a shoulder adapted to be engaged by said spring.

4. A safety razor comprising a handle, a head having a guard thereon, a hone plate mounted on said guard, said guard and hone plate being reciprocable for sharpening the razor, a seat and shoulders on said head for supporting and positioning the rear portion of the blade, a blade supported upon said seat, and a single means for holding said blade upon said seat and against said shoulder and for pressing the forward portion of said blade upon said hone plate, said means comprising a spring attached to said razor blade, said head having a shoulder adapted to be engaged by said spring having a handle thereon.

5. A safety razor comprising a handle, a head having a guard thereon, a hone plate mounted on said guard, said guard and hone plate being reciprocable for sharpening the razor, a seat and shoulders on said head for supporting and positioning the rear portion of the blade, a blade supported upon said seat and against said shoulder and means for pressing the forward portion of said blade upon said hone plate, said means comprising a spring attached to said razor blade, said head having a shoulder adapted to be engaged by said spring, the upper surface of said blade being devoid of any overhanging part.

6. A safety razor comprising a handle, a head having a guard thereon, a hone plate mounted on said guard, said guard and hone plate being reciprocable for sharpening the razor, a seat and shoulders on said head for supporting and positioning the rear portion of the blade, a blade supported upon said seat and against said shoulder, and means for pressing the forward portion of said blade upon said hone plate, said means comprising a spring attached to said razor blade, said head having a shoulder adapted to be engaged by said spring, said spring engaging the sides of said head and thereby positioning said blade longitudinally of itself on said head.

'7. As an article of manufacture, a razor blade having a cutting edge, a thickened back opposite said cutting edge, a handle having trunnions intermediate between said back and said cutting edge, and said blade having recesses in said back and facing away from said cutting edge.

8. As an article of manufacture, a razor blade having a cutting edge, a thickened back opposite said cutting edge, a handle having trunnions intermediate between said back and said cutting edge, said blade having recesses in said back facing away from said cutting edge and said recesses being deep enough to accommodate said handle without extending beyond the length of said cutting edge.

9. As an article of manufacture, a razor blade I having a cutting edge, a thickened back opposite said cutting edge, a handle having trunnions between said back and said cutting edge, said trunnions being parallel to said back, said blade having recesses in said back facing away from said cutting edge, said handle extending sufiiciently beyond said back, so that it can lie substantially in a median plane of the said razor blade and thus can enable the said bladeto be fastened in a razor with either face of the blade 5 uppermost and in shaving position.

10. As an article of manufacture, a razor blade having a U-shaped clip pivoted to the blade at points remote both from the edge and the back of the blade, said clip being so shaped as to leave a space between the clip and the back of the razor blade when the clip is in the plane of the razor.

11. As an article of manufacture, a razor blade having a spring clip attached thereto at points remote both from the edge and the back of the blade, said clip being so pivoted to the blade as to permit said clip to pivot around the back of the blade.

12. A safety razor comprising a handle, a head having a guard thereon, a hone plate mounted on said guard, said guard and hone plate being reciprocable for sharpening the razor, a seat and a shoulder on said head for positioning the rear portion of the blade, a blade supported upon said seat and against said shoulder, and means for pressing the forward portion of said blade upon said hone plate, said means comprising a spring attached to said razor blade, said head having bevelled lateral shoulders adapted to be engaged by said spring, and thereby to position said blade longitudinally of itself on said head.

13. A safety razor comprising a handle, a head having a seat and a shoulder on said head for positioning the rear portion of the blade, a blade supported on said seat and against said shoulder, and spring means for attaching the razor blade to said head, said head having laterally bevelled portions adapted to be engaged by said spring and thereby to position said blade longitudinally of itself on said head.

THOMAS J. PILLIOD. FERDINAND o. MULLER. 

